Race track scarifier



April 26, 1955 D. McDoNALD 2,706,881

RACE TRACK SCARIFIER Filed July 15, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet l Apnl 26, 1955D. McDoNALD .2,706,381

RACE TRACK scARIFIER Filed July 15, 1950 7 Shee`\'.3-Shee`l'l 2 INVENTORDana ZdMcDona la ATTORNEYS April 26, 1955 D. McDoNALD RACE TRACKscARIFIER 7 sheets-sheet s Filed July 15, 1950 N uwen-ron Dona ZdMcDa/za Zd ATTQRNEYS April 26, 1955 D, MCDONALD 2,706,881

RACE TRACK SCARIF'IER Filed July 15, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.Donald McDonald ATTCRNEYS April 26, 1955 D. MCDONALD RACE TRACKscARIFIER 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 15, 1950 n L l l u INVENTOR,Donnaln'McDazzaId a-i *iadb ATTORNEYS 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 ATTO R N EVSApril 26, 1955 n. McDoNALD RACE: TRACK SCARIFIER Filed July 15 1950April 26, 1955 D. McDoNALD RACE TRACK SCARIFIER 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 FiledJuly 15. 1950 INVENTOR Donald McDonald Bv wif-@LAL ATTORNEYS ljnitedStates Patent e RACE TRACK SCAREFIER Bonald McDonald, Sacramento,Calif., assignor to Georgia S. Cusack, Sacramento, Calif.

Application duly 15, 1950, Serial No. 173,98)

9 Claims. (Cl. 55-128) This invention relates to scarifiers, andparticularly to one primarily designed for scarifying or re-iinishingrace tracks, which need reconditioning every so often, and whichoperation to be satisfactory requires a top-ground layer of even densityand depth throughout the extent of the track.

One of the major objects of my invention, therefore, is to provide animplement for the purpose so constructed that the entire track surfacein the path of movement of the implement will be worked over andscarified to the same depth, and such depth may be regulated to anextreme nicety as is desirable.

A further object is to provide a scarifier which, while covering a widearea when in operation so that the number of passes necessary to workover a track from side to side is reduced to a minimum, may be greatlyreduced in width by a simple power controlled operation so that themachine is then capable of passing through a road gate and moved along ahighway without then occupying an excessive portion of the highway.

A further object is to provide, as a valuable adjunct to the scarifyingoperations, a leveler unit adapted to be mounted in trailing relationwith the scarilier and arranged to properly level the scaried dirt whenthis is desired, so that scarifying and leveling are then carried out atone operation.

A further object is to provide a machine for the purpose which isextremely eflicient and fast in operation, and which is rugged andinexible so that the scarifying elements, when once set for a certaindepth, will be maintained at that depth without deviation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a practical and reliablerace track scarifier, and one which will be exceedingly effective forthe purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecication and claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a top plan View of the implement in its maximum-width workingposition.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view, somewhat diagrammatic, of the implementfolded for transportation.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine in working position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal section on line 4 4 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section on line 5 5 of Fig.l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on line 6 5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 7 is a similar View on line 7 7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on line 8 8 of Fig. l.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a finish leveler unit attached to anddesigned to cooperate with the scarifier.

Fig. l0 is an enlarged side view of the swivel mount of the leveler,detached from the scarier.

Fig. ll is a top plan view of the swivel mount, detached from theleveler.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged side view of one of the adjustable wheel mountsof the leveler.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the machine comprises upper and lower frame units indicatedgenerally at l and 2, of substantially the same size and construction,and

jhbi Patented Apr. 26, 1955 ICS when the machine is in operation,forming a V with the apex forwardly.

The upper frame unit comprises side beams 3 and 4 of hollow box-likeform, beam 3 extending ahead of beam 4 to form the actual apex of theunit; beam 4 at its forward end terminating adjacent the inner face ofbeam 3. The lower frame unit 2 similarly comprises hollow side beams 5,symmetrical to the corresponding upper beams 3 and 4 and disposeddirectly below the same.

Overlapping pairs of bracket plates 6 project laterally from the innerfaces of beams 3 and 4 and similar brackets 7 project from beams 5 justbehind the apex of the frame units. An upstanding king pin 8 slidablyand turnably projects through these brackets and through brackets 9which straddle brackets 7 (see Fig. 4) and which are mounted on theforward side of the upstanding leg lit of a gooseneck il. This gooseneckextends over and ahead of the frame units to supported swivel connectionwith a wheeled pony truck 12 to which a draft tongue 13 is rigidlyconnected.

The pin 8 is secured to the lower bracket 9 and to the top member of thegooseneck; said member clearing the upper frame unit 1 sufficiently toallow of vertical movement of said unit l relative to unit 2. Said unit2, by reason of the engagement of the gooseneck brackets 9 with brackets7, is held at a xed level.

ln order to maintain the gooseneck against relative lateral swingingabout the king pin when the machine is in operation, a rigid post lddepends from the gooseneck on the side nearest beam 4, on the lower endof which post is a projecting lug l5 which ts in the space between theside beams 5 of the lower frame unit 2.

Rigid stub'axles i6 project outwardly from the side beams 5 intermediatetheir ends, which support wheels 17 turnable about vertical king pins13. Arms i9 project forwardly from suitable connection with the wheelsadjacent their king pins, which arms are connected to hydraulic rams 2liextending7 thence to beams 5 so that the wheels may be set parallel tothe line of travel irrespective of the angular relation of the frameunits to such line. When the frame units are set in working position,the wheels are laterally inward of the rear ends ot the side beams ofsuch units.

The scarifying elements of the machine are rectangular vertical blades2l removably bolted to brackets 22 secured on the underside of the beams3 and d in spaced relation throughout the length thereof. The bladesdepend thence through the beams 5, at the bottom of which said bladesslidably pass between guides 23 on said beams.

' The brackets 22 and guides 23, in addition to serving their mainpurpose, also form the connecting elements for the side members of thebeams at the bottom of said members; the latter being connected togetherat the top by cross plates 2d.

The blades 21, for each beam, are parallel to each other, but are4diagonal to the longitudinal plane of the beams in a direction oppositeto the angle of the opposed beams relative to each other, and are alsodiagonal to the direction of travel of the machine. rhe spacing of theblades relative to their width is such that there is no gap between theblades in the direction of travel, and thus all the ground area betweenthe widely separated rear ends of the frame beams is engaged andscarified as the machine moves forward. This complete ground coverageextends across the apex of the frame unit without any special bladere-arranging due to the fact that beam 3, and the corresponding beam 5below, extends across the apical line and can thus carry a pair ofblades extending diagonally across said line.

In order to raise or lower frame unit l so as to alter the depth ofpenetration of blades 2l into the ground, or lift them entirely clearfor transportation, hydraulic rams 25 extends between cross members 26and 27 on the beams of frame units l and 2, respectively (see Fig. 7) atsuitably spaced intervals between adjacent scariiier blades and withouthaving to alter the spacing of such blades.

The frame unit 1 is guided during vertical movement not only on king pin8, but on other heavy pins 2S disposed adjacent but laterally inward ofthe frame units, preferably opposite the wheel supporting axles le, andmounted in connection with pairs of brackets 2? and 3d projecting fromframe units l. and 2, respectively (see Fig. 5). rl`he pins are securedwith brackets Sil, but relatively slide through brackets 29.

ln order to adjnstably limit the downward movement of frame unit l, andthe scaritier blades so that the latter may be set to penetrate theground to any exact depth desired, heavy-duty hand-turned vertical stopscrews 3l are threaded through cross members 32 on beams 3 and t atintervals, and at their lower end engage cross stop plates 33 on thelower beams 5 (see Fig. 6). To determine the adjusted position of thestop screws for any desired depth penetration of blades 2l., graduatedgauge bars 34| upstand from the side of beams 5 adjacent the stopscrews, and slide through pointer-forming collars 35 on thecorresponding beams 3 and d. As will be obvious, this arrangement, whilepositively limiting the downward movement of the frame unit ll, does notinterfere with full raising of said unit so that the blades may belifted clear of the ground when desired in maneuvering the machine whileassuring that the blades will return to the originally set depth whenthe frame unit is again lowered.

ln order to collapse the fratrie units when the machine is to betransported, as well as to maintain them at the proper angle ofseparation when the machine is in operation, heavy toggle link units 3sand 37 extend between the pairs of brackets of frame unit and the pairsof brackets lill of trame unit 2, respectively; said link units turningon pins 2S (see Fig. 5). Said link units include a central upstandingpivot pin 38 lixed with the lower link unit but on which the upper linkunit may slide as well as turn.

To extend or collapse the toggle links, so as to separate or pull thetrame units together, said units turning about king pin 8 as an axis,the following arrangement is provided:

Pivoted on a bracket 39 projecting rearwardly from the back of gooseneckll is a bell crank lever to the upper end of which one end of ahydraulic ram 4l is connected, the other end of the ram being mounted onthe gooseneck. The lower end of the lever 4@ is connected by a link 42to the pin 33 just above frame unit 2 (see Fig. 4).

When the frame units and toggle links are fully collapsed, as shown inPig. 2, said units lie parallel to each other with br ckets 29 and 3dabutting. At the same time, wheel control rams Ztl are actuated toposition the wheels parallel to the frame units. The wheels may then belocked in that position by pins d3 placed through holes in arms l@ andmatching holes in rigid brackets lli projecting outwardly from beams 5and which are then engaged by said arms as shown in Fig. 2.

lt will, of course, be understood that a power unit is provided tosupply hydraulic pressure for the operation of the various rams, suchunit being mounted on the goosencck and enclosed for protection within ahood H.

The operators seat t5 is also mounted on the gooseneck, such operatorcontrolling the functioning of the various rams as may be required bymeans of valve control levers 46 mounted as a unit in connection withthe hood in front of and convenient to the seat.

With the wide scariiier blades, and with such blades on the angledframes sloping in opposite directions away from the apex of said frames,a relatively high central windrow of dirt is formed in line with andback of the apex, while the rearmost blades dig definite troughs in theground.

ln order to both level out this windrow and lill the troughs with onepass of the implement when a nishlevel effect is desired, as on racetrack, a leveler unit is provided as a removable attachment to thescariier.

This leveler comprises a pair of side beams 47 havi g smooth opstandingouter faces, and extending in rigid diverging relation to each otherfrom a forward central junction or apex fihi to a rearward terminationat least as far apart as the rearinost blades 2l of the scariter, asshown in Pig. 9.

At their forward end, the beams i? are tied by a top bearing bracket dwhich supports a horizontal longitudinally extending swivel pin 555.Ahead of the bracket, the pin is formed with a transverse fork 5lstraddling a lug el?. projecting rearwardly from a vertical sleeve 53,.

CII

fr the lug and fork being pivoted together' by a transverse in 54. p Thesleeve 53 slides and turns on a vertical pin 55 secured to a bracket 55.This bracket is mounted on a cross beam 57 adapted to extend between theside beams 5 of the lower scarilier frame 2 just rearwardly of thetoggle linkage 3] of said trame 2, as shown in Fig. 9 and to beremovably secured to said frame by bolting the same to plates thereon.With this arrangement, it will be seen that the leveler may swing up ordown lu y' dinally about pin 5d, and laterally about pin 59, `o rotateabout pin 55, so that the mounting unit abo'fe described in etl'ect auniversal joint.

ln order to raise or lower the front end of the leveler relative to theIixed-level beam 57, a screw 59, parallel to 55, upstands from lug 52 inwhich it is turnably xed, is engaged by a nut e@ eonlined by a yoke elfor rotation on pin S5 and held against vertical moverr between theupper bearing plate 62 of pin 55 a coll r 63 on said pin above the yoke.

The leveler, at its rear end, is supported by rear wheels ed mounted ona rig d transverse axle 65 above beams "nil riding in the troughs 66formed by the rearmost blades 2l.

e axle is engaged by upstanding guides 67 on the beams if? each of thelatter is floatably and adjustom the adjacent portion of said axle by asubstantially horizontal lever pivoted intermediate its ends on lir s 69mounted on and upstanding from the axle in str2 idling relation to theadacent guide 67. At one end, the lever is connected to an arm unit 7@upling from the adjacent beam d?, and suitable pulldown means is appliedto the other end of the lever, such as a ram ll mounted on the axle.Piping for the rants extends along the beams ffl-7 to the cross beam57', where detachable connection is made with the source of pressure andwith the necessary control valves mounted adjacent valve levers le forindependent actuation by the operator.

The above described leveler-trarne rear-end suspension arrangementenables either frame to be raised or lowered at such end, as theparticular conditions may require to give the best leveling results.

ln order to prevent undue lateral swiveling of the leveler, shouldwheels 64 not be riding in well-donned troughs, slack chains '73 areconnected between frames d'7 intermediate their ends and the scarierframe l at its rear ends.

When the scaritier is to be collapsed for transportation, the cross beam57 is unbolted, the chains 73 detached, and the ram piping connectionsuncoupled, thus freeing the ieveler from any connection with thescarier.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of such device, still practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

l claim:

l. A scaritler comprising symmetrical upper and lower frame units eachincluding side members disposed one above the other, a l J pivoting thefr ine 'units together at their forward end for movement of the sidemembers between divergent and substantially parallel folded positionsWhile allowing of vertical movement of the upper frame unit relative tothe lower frame unit, guide means between the side members intermediatetheir ends for guiding the upper side members as they move up or down,rams between the side members for imparting upward movement to saidupper members, scarilier blades mounted on the upper members anddepending below the lower side members for ground engagement, rearwheels supporting the lower side members, a rigid gooseneclt on whichthe king pin is mounted, said gooseneck extending forwardly over theframe units in clearance relation to the upper unit, a Stcerable drafttruck supporting the t iwarclend of the goosencck, and means applied tothe side memlfers to move the same between such divergent and toldedpositions at will.

2. A. scariiier as in claim l, in which said guide means comprisesupstanding guide pins l'lxed on the lower side members and spacedbrackets on the upper side members through which the pins slidablyproject, and said last named means includes upper and lower toggle-linkunits mounted at their ends on said guide pins, the upper link unitbeing retained between said brackets for vertical movement with saidupper side members, a central pin connecting the toggle link units, saidpin being secured on the lower unit and relatively slidable through theupper unit, and power means mounted on the gooseneck and connected tosaid central pin between the toggle link units to extend and collapsethe latter.

3. A scarier as in claim 1, with means between the frame units and thegooseneck to prevent relative rotation therebetween about the king pinas an axis when the frame units are in a divergent position.

4. A scarier comprising a frame structure which includes side members,scarifier elements depending from the members, means pivoting saidmembers together adjacent their forward end for relative foldingmovement in a horizontal plane from an operative rearwardly divergentposition, said means including a vertical king pin, a forwardlyprojecting draft member supporting said king pin, and locking meansbetween said draft member and the frame structure preventing lateralswinging movement of the draft member relative to the frame structurewhen the side members of said structure are in said operative position.

5. A scarier as in claim 4, in which said draft member overhangs theframe structure and the side members abut against each other ahead ofthe king pin when said members are in operative position to then providea horizontal forwardly opening socket therebetween; said locking meanscomprising a post rigid with and depending from the draft member aheadof the socket, and a rearwardly projecting lug on the lower end of thepost in position to enter the socket.

6. A scariiier comprising a lower wheel-supported frame unit includingside members, an upper blademounting frame unit including side membersoverlying the members of the lower unit, means guiding the upper unitfor vertical movement relative to the lower unit and including a kingpin pivoting the units together adjacent their forward ends to permitrelative swinging of the units in a horizontal plane about said kingpin, a power device mounted in connection with one frame unit, andactuating means between said device and both units and including saidguide means to swing the side members of both units simultaneously.

7. A scarier as in claim 6, with power devices connected between theupper and lower frame units to move the upper unit relative to the lowerunit without affecting the operation of said actuating means.

8. A scariiier as in claim 6, in which said guide means includesupstanding guide pins fixed in the side members of the lower unit andslidable through the members of the upper unit; said actuating meanscomprising upper and lower transversely foldable toggle link unitsextending between and engaging said guide pins, means retainmg thetoggle units in unchanged horizontal relation with the respective frameunits regardless of relative vertical movement of the latter, a centralpin connected and xed with one toggle unit and slidable through theother, and a push-pull link connected to said central pin between theupper and lower toggle units and to which said power device isconnected.

4 9. A scarier comprising a frame structure which includes side unitseach having an upper and a lower member, scarier elements depending fromthe upper members; means pivoting said units together adjacent theirforward end for relative folding movement in a horizontal plane from anoperative rearwardly divergent position, means mounting the framestructure for movement along the ground and including elementsprojecting outwardly from and rigid with the lower members of said sideunits, rear wheels outwardly of said elements, wheel mounting meanssupporting the wheels from said elements for swivel movement aboutvertical axes, arms rigid with and projecting forwardly from said wheelmounting means, and power rams extending between the forward end of saidarms and the side units ahead of the wheels.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,042Blickensderfer Dec. 8, 1885 915,963 Hovland Mar. 23, 1909 1,221,848Engelbrecht Apr. 10, 1917 1,275,588 Myers Aug. 13, 1918 1,432,837Campbell Oct. 24, 1922 1,574,261 Shatto Feb. 23, 1926 1,646,023 HawksOct. 18, 1927 1,833,763 Topick Nov. 24, 1931 1,854,368 Davis et al Apr.19, 1932 1,881,358 Hymans Oct. 4, 1932 1,915,844 York et al June 27,1933 1,931,783 Wickes Oct. 24, 1933 1,931,815 Conley Oct. 24, 19332,261,874 Cundiic Nov. 4, 1941 2,357,374 Ariens Sept. 5, 1944 2,547,680Wright Apr. 3, 1951

